el's, but it's abominably crowded. Practically I
subsist at the Commandant's, or Chambers', or at some other good chap's
in the Police. But I'm not stopping on much longer."

"No, you're not, for you're going back with me this afternoon."

Dick, in his heart of hearts, thought this rather a bore, and began to
wonder what excuse he could make. It interfered with his plans. The
other, reading his thoughts, smiled to herself. She had reason to know
what he did not, that there was not the smallest chance of her invite
being declined.

"Where is Mr Greenoak now?" she went on, not giving him time to utter
the excuse he was trying to invent.

"Nobody knows, beyond that he's bound on some mysterious mission, its
object being to prevent the harmful unnecessary Gaika from taking the
warpath."

"Then I hope he'll succeed. We have far too many of them as next-door
neighbours. Well, we'll get back to Pagel's and have tea, and then
it'll be time to inspan. You haven't got much luggage to pack up, I
suppose?"

Dick was amused at the way in which she was taking possession of him as
a matter of course. Personally she was a tallish, fair-haired woman of
about five and thirty, rather good-looking, and with a pleasing voice.
It would be great fun to accept that invitation, if only that Harley
Greenoak would come back to find his bird flown. The said Greenoak had
come to the conclusion that his charge could not get into much mischief
in a crowded township, and with an arm in a sling, wherefore he had left
him for a few days with an easy mind.

Even as Dick had said, the hotel--whither all this time they had been
wending--was crowded. The stoep and the bar department were full of men
and tobacco smoke, and battles were being fought over again, and the war
brought to a sudden and satisfactory termination--according to more than
one orator, who might or might not have taken any part in it. In the
stuffy little dining-room they managed to find a quiet corner.

"How do you do, Mr Selmes?"

A red-hot needle dropped down the back of Dick's neck might have
produced a precisely similar effect to that evolved by this simple and
exceedingly conventional query. He started violently in his chair,
knocked both knees hard against the table, causing every article of
crockery thereon to dance and rattle, and other people using it to scowl
or laugh, according to mood. Then, as he extricated himself, he
wondered if he were drunk or dr